Updated November 22, 2016 4:15 pm • Published November 22, 2016Written by Aaron • Filed under Film & TV

Entertainment Weekly ran a sentence today suggesting that Josh Trank was doing the "Boba Fett/bounty hunter" film. But this has never been officially confirmed by Lucasfilm on the record.

Here's what launched a thousand tweets and dozens of blog posts claiming "confirmation:"

"Among the titles that have been considered is a Boba Fett/bounty hunter movie that director Josh Trank was hired to make before he dropped out following the troubled production of his Fantastic Four reboot. It came so close to being officially announced, Lucasfilm even prepped a teaser reel to show at Star Wars Celebration in spring of 2015, sources tell EW. At the last minute, the split with Trank backburnered the project."

Let's take one step back and look at our own Fett Fact Check to see how reliable Entertainment Weekly has been about this subject since 2013:

February 6, 2013: Entertainment Weekly reported an "exclusive" that one of the "spin-off" films was going to be about Boba Fett film. This has never been confirmed, now over 3 years later.

August 7, 2015: Entertainment Weekly reported that "sources" say the script is centered on Boba Fett and it's written by Simon Kinberg. This has never been confirmed.

December 30, 2015: Entertainment Weekly claimed the Boba Fett film was set for 2020 -- with no sources mentioned. This has never been confirmed.

(For more non-EW facts on the still-rumored and never-confirmed Boba Fett story film, see our Fett Fact Check.)

Sounds a little like jumping the gun.

Q: Weren't two teasers announced and planned for Star Wars Celebration Anaheim in 2015?

Yes. So it's not new that they were almost going to show one -- we've known that for over a year. Josh was expected to speak to the ticketed crowd at the convention, and then things shifted course.

Q: What if Entertainment Weekly's source is correct?

It's possible. But confirmation to us means confirmation by Lucasfilm.

What has Lucasfilm said on the record about a Boba Fett film?

Nothing. Except that it's rumored. Here are screenshots we stand by from the official Star Wars page on Facebook from July 7, 2015:

What if Entertainment Weekly is repeating their own article history?

They're not the first publication to do something like that. The Wrap also does this -- repeating their own stories over and over rather.

As for Boba Fett merch, here are the highlights to look for when the event officially begins on Friday:

Mattel has a new Hot Wheels car -- or "carship" -- featuring Boba Fett's Slave I. You can get it on Amazon and Target. You might be able to find this at places like Toys R Us, Target, or other bigger stores with toy sections. It's also available in a 4-pack, spotted before "Force Friday" at a Ross for $6.

Hasbro's Micro Machines has a "Mandalorian Melee" set with Hera Syndulla and newcomer Fenn Rau.

Looking for everything that's out? Our friends at Yakface put together a thorough checklist, which you can find in PDF form on Google Drive.

On Saturday, Barnes and Noble bookstores teamed up with LEGO and they're doing an event for kids in all of the U.S. stores. The flyer for the event includes Boba Fett, BB-8, and R2-D2. It's always nice to see Boba Fett being promoted in the run up here for Rogue One.

* What's the deal with the broken embargo this year? Like last year, these toys began showing up with stores weeks and even a whole month early, but the box would often say "don't open until 9/30." That didn't stop a lot of sales from leaking early. Whoops. (Side note: we also posted a photo and link to one toy early, not knowing this marketing stunt, and soon thereafter received a lovely DMCA take down notice from Mattel.)

The latest trailer for the upcoming third season of "Star Wars Rebels," which dropped Monday via the official Disney XD channel on YouTube, has been abuzz with a rumor that Jango Fett's very familiar Mandalorian helmet can be seen in it.

Let's break that down and look carefully at the screenshot.

Jango Fett's helmet was last seen "scorched" in Season 2 Episode 21 ("R2 Come Home") of "The Clone Wars" animated series. That comes prior to "Rebels" in the overall canonical timeline. The helmet was blown in half with a bomb inside. But it's such high quality that it only broke into two pieces — only the best gear for the best hunters. In the new trailer, it's not in pieces. For it to be plausible, it would have to be repaired. Is that possible? Definitely.

So far, no Fett has been in "Star Wars Rebels." But Boba Fett would be the right age and the latest season isn't unbelievable if he made an appearance. (Thrawn is the big headliner of the new season.) So is it possible Boba Fett reconstructed and is wearing his father's helmet? Yes... possible.

What about Thrawn? He's the headliner of this season. Would adding Boba Fett keep things interesting or would just a helmet appearance be enough to tide us fans over another season? Thrawn is established as a collector of ultra rare items, so this helmet fits the bill. This would mean Boba may have not been involved at all. Possible? Very possible.

What if it's Ezra behind the mask? This seems more likely than introducing Boba Fett to the series. Perhaps Ezra put it on after being captured by Thrawn...? Now we're really speculating.

How about the color? We would expect the helmet to be more "Empire" green than this same "Clones" blue. There's almost a Star Wars 1313 tint to this.

Last but not least, where's the narrative value? Welding a helmet together to patch it? Couldn't this simply be the helmet of a protector from Concord Dawn?

The winners and "survivors" (aka finalists) were just announced for the 2016 ILM Art Department Challenge. Since artists won, not just individual art pieces, we found that within several of the portfolios were pieces with Boba Fett. Here is our round-up of those entries, starting with the artist who took home first place:

Updated August 25, 2016 10:38 pm • Published August 25, 2016Written by Aaron • Filed under Community

Exclusive: We here at BFFC sent JC Fett to Discovery Times Square's Star Wars exhibit — just to make this picture happen!

The traveling "Star Wars and the Power of Costume" exhibition is currently in New York City closes September 5th. Visit discoverytsx.com/starwars to get tickets.

The exhibit has the "ROTJ" Fett costume and blaster with the "Pre-Pro 3" (aka non-hero "ESB" helmet). Jango Fett is also there on display, along with some "Fett facts" about Ralph McQuarrie's concept art.

After New York, the exhibit is going to the Denver Art Museum in Colorado from November 13, 2016 to April 2, 2017. For more, see Follow Fett.

The journey starts out with me in Times Square, you'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy!!

Finally found the target!

Looks to be an imperial establishment.

Greeted by some friendly droids

Shhhh don't day anything. I know what you're thinking, but I can't stay. There's more to see at this exhibition.

Slave Leia and Boushh costumes. This is an absolute fan boy moment.

Yoda, show me the way.

The force awakens.

Vader's got my back!

The first order.

JC, son of Boba ?????

The "Star Wars and the Power of Costume" exhibition is amazing. It was a complete privilege to be able to experience the magic first hand.

Updated August 21, 2016 10:49 am • Published August 20, 2016Written by White Boba Fett • Filed under Community

"I've got a feeling there's only one fit for your page." Those were among the first words we heard from toy photographer and #HASBROTOYPICFan Figure Photo SeriesfinalistDavid Valdez because sure enough, his Instagram feed so far had included just a single white Boba Fett image. What was lacking in quantity (as far as number of Boba Fett prototype images were concerned) was more than overshadowed by the quality of his work. It didn't take long for us to notice David's astonishing knack for squeezing the maximum potential from his action figures by modeling them into remarkably natural and life-like poses, even the ones that don't wear a mask or helmet. Squint just a little and your brain starts to forget that they are toys, and the featured white Boba Fett image is certainly no exception.

By far the toughest part of our review was refraining from actually linking to all of the images we wanted to highlight, because doing so would have resulted in way too long of a read. We highly recommend having a look at his Instagram feed instead, and be sure to continue reading David's interview with us below:

What is your earliest Star Wars memory?

I have so many early Star Wars memories. I was born in '82, so it's always been a part of my life. When I was 3 or 4 I was standing right next to the TV watching Episode 4 when the Dianoga's eye shot up out of the water. It scared me so bad I fell over backwards.

What inspired you to get into toy photography?

My cat was lying on my desk in front of me (as they do) so I mounted my Beast figure on his back. I took a pic and posted to Instagram and somehow found other toy photos as a result. Seeing toy photographers on Instagram opened my eyes to its possibility as an art form.

Who is your favorite Star Wars character to photograph? Is he/she also your favorite character overall?

Stormtroopers are my favorite to photograph. A big part of art and illusion is suggesting something to a person's eye and letting their mind fill in the gaps. Stormtroopers have helmets completely devoid of expression, but we can see emotion from them based simply on body language which in a way makes us see emotion in their faces. This doesn't work as well with figures with faces because the majority have a blank, bored, or stoic expression on them. My overall favorite character is Luke. The change he goes through and the strength he develops through the original trilogy are inspiring.

You chose to pose your Hasbro 6" Black Series Prototype Boba Fett in a snowy setting. Where was he, and what was he up to?

Boba was vacationing in the Swiss Alps (my backyard in Minnesota) when some yuppy scum made a crack about wearing white after Labor Day. Fortunately for Mr. Fett, there was a "dead or alive" bounty on the fool's head.

What are your top three favorite Star Wars photos you have taken so far?

It's hard to pick three favorite shots, but first would probably be the "Makazie One" shot of the Trooper holding a lightsaber. It was one of my first attempts at practical effects that I thought turned out really well. Not many shots come out as well as I want, but that one was better than I had hoped for.

Second would be the three troopers at sunrise posted shortly after the previously mentioned shot. I was at my Grandma's farm and forced myself up for sunrise. You never really know what you're gonna get when you get up that early as far as the light goes and I end up frantically trying set up a shot before the sun arrives. That morning was magic for about 10 minutes and they were my best shots up until that point.

Third favorite is the shot of Rey in the sand that was featured at SDCC this year. The sun was going down fast behind Cocoa Beach in Florida and my girlfriend was nagging me to leave, but she was a trooper and sprinkled some sand over Rey as I scrambled to get the shot right. The lack of perfect focus still bugs the hell out of me, but for the most part I love the mystical feeling of the shot.

Speaking of your SDCC feature, congratulations on being chosen as a finalist in the Star Wars Hasbro Toy Pic contest. Anything you'd like to share about your accomplishment?

Thank you very much! It was really exciting to see that toy photography was being recognized in such a big way, so I really wanted to be a part of that. It was a tremendous honor to be one of the selected photographers.

Lastly, what is the most important piece of advice you would offer to an aspiring toy photographer?

Get out there and do it! I'm still an aspiring toy photographer myself and that's one thing I tell myself. The more shooting you do, the more you'll learn about what works and what doesn't. At the same time you'll be developing your own style, which also important. Get out there and experiment, try different things, play, have fun! We're talking about toys, after all.

About the Artist

David Valdez is a toy photographer based in Minnesota, and can be found on Instagram as @fathersfigures.

Published August 7, 2016Written by Scott Casanova • Filed under Collectibles

I wasn’t going to buy GameStop's Gentle Giant Boba Fett Mini Bust Statue at first. Mostly because it was ROTJ. But I hadn’t gotten anything from Gentle Giant lately, and my local store had it in stock so I didn’t have to pay shipping so I grabbed it anyway.

The box is consistent with all of GG’s offerings, with the added "GameStop Exclusive" badge on the front. Inside is the usual Styrofoam packing and a trading card COA with the number, edition size, and on the back the same image as the front of the box minus the GameStop Exclusive badge.

The first thing I noticed when unpacking is that the Wookiee scalps aren’t very well executed. I’ll come back to that. The other interesting bit is that the rangefinder comes unattached to the helmet. It just slides into a slot on top of the helmet’s side piece (technical term?) and gravity holds it there. This is actually a great method of preventing them from getting bent, which is probably my single largest gripe with any of my Boba pieces. The only downside is that keeps it from being hinged for anyone who might want to display it in the down position. I’m 99% sure I’ve never displayed any of my Fett’s with the rangefinder down, other than to briefly show someone it moves, so this isn’t an issue for me. I don’t think I got mine in all the way because it looks longer than on the actual piece than on the box, but I packed it back up already as I don’t have room on the shelf at the moment.

For the most part the piece is very well done. The paint job looks great. That’s not intended to be a comment on screen accuracy, I’m sure the guys at TDH will pick that apart as necessary. The base looks good too, and the Mythosaur skulls are a very nice touch. The only negative to it (mine anyway) are the Wookiee scalps. They’re frayed on the braids, the braids don’t appear to be very well done, and it doesn’t look very well glued on. You can see one spot in front of the shoulder/arm where there’s glue on the piece but the scalps didn’t adhere.

Overall best I can say is I’m not unhappy with this piece. It wasn’t something I was eagerly anticipating to begin with so I’m not really let down by the scalps. But it definitely takes away from my appreciation of the piece. I’d say $80 is about right for the price if you can pick it up locally. Another $10 or so (for S&H) and I would have skipped it. I’m very curious to know how the scalps have come out on other pieces.

Updated July 31, 2016 1:07 am • Published July 31, 2016Written by White Boba Fett • Filed under Community

At whitebobafett.com, we first learned about Geoff Dymond’s Boba Fett Prototype cosplay armor build in the form of an Instagram message from the highly discerning Boba Fett Fan Club, so even before seeing a single photo we knew we were about to witness something special. At their suggestion, we quickly clicked over to Geoff Dymond’s Instagram feed and sure enough, we were not disappointed. The quality of his armor build was probably most starkly evident in the photos of Geoff standing side by side with the white Boba Fett armor display at the Hot Wheels booth at Star Wars Celebration 2016, where any meaningful difference in quality between the two completely escaped us. Read the comments on his Instagram photos and it’s clear that we’re not alone.

It turns out that not only is Geoff a master craftsman, but also a nice guy who graciously agreed to an interview with us. Read on as he shares his insights of the build as well as some tips for his fellow cosplayers.

What is your earliest Star Wars memory?

I would say that my earliest Star Wars memory would be getting toys for Christmas. Imperial Troop Transporter, two Stormtroopers, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader,R2-D2, and C-3PO, all of which I still have.

Your Instagram profile states that you are a prop maker. Is that your profession, and have you previously built anything else from the Star Wars universe?

My day job is a designer and metal worker. I’ve used my skills to make Boba Fett parts that I sell all around the world. The main bulk of the work is screen-accurate jetpack mounting hardware and reproduction divers belt buckles. I have taken on commissions for metal work parts for friends on Star Wars projects.

In the Star Wars world, both cosplay and in general, the white-armored Boba Fett prototype is relatively rare. What inspired your decision to build his armor?

The all white Boba Fett really caught my eye as soon as I saw it years ago. The clean lines and freshness are in such stark contrast to the final film image of Boba Fett, but still instantly recognisable. I gives you a very individual look, and an extra challenge in making it.

Your armor looks nothing short of incredible. What was your favorite part of the build? And the most challenging?

I’d say my favourite part of the build was the “Space Uzi” blaster. I didn’t get to use it at Celebration because it wouldn’t pass inspection as it’s made around a deactivated Uzi. It was one of those rare parts of the build as it all came together without any trouble at all. All parts are original and I found them quite easily, even the rare “pinstripe” Graflex.

The two biggest headaches were the jetpack and the left gauntlet flame unit. The jetpack was giving me major problems with painting. I had to redo it twice due to poor coverage and bad paint reactions. The flame unit was a problem because of the lack of reference and no one makes them so it had to be scratch-built.

Although the gauntlet was used in the Pre-Production 1 and 3 costumes, references are not that great and some of the references seem to contradict the others. I have ended up making a very close representation but the weight is a little to much. I think I must have gone through three or four mockups before I was satisfied that I had gotten it as close as I could.

You finished the armor just in time for Star Wars Celebration Europe 2016. What are your plans with it moving forward? Will you be joining any troops?

I was blown away by the reception I had at Celebration. I’m now seriously thinking about joining one or more of the costuming clubs and doing some troops. I have friends in all the groups, but up until know I have been put off by some of the internal politics of some clubs.

The biggest thing right now for me will be having someone with less knowledge of the Prototype Fett having to look over my kit and say it’s clearable.

Is there a Star Wars beach towel cape in your future?

The search for the beach towel goes on. It’s a hard thing to come by at a reasonable price. I have even talked to people about reproducing it but I fear a few hundred might have to be done.

While I like the towel, I don’t see it as a good idea to troop with it as it is a little goofy and it would never have made it into the film. More than likely the white and grey cape would have been used. It looks more fitting, especially while trooping with others.

What is the best piece of advice you would offer to a first time armor-builder or cosplayer?

The best advice I can give is do some research. Then do some more research. Take your time to select the makers you buy stuff from, join the forums like The Dented Helmet and read the threads and ask questions.

Wherever possible, don’t buy from online auctions. That’s not to say everything on eBay is rubbish and the stuff you get from forum sales is perfect. Far from it in fact. I know of some rubbish from people who sell on forums and some really top quality gear on eBay. Don’t be worried about using original found parts either. A lot of original parts can still be had for less than cast reproduction. Above all, have fun. Don’t let people put you down. It doesn’t matter if you spend thousands or make everything yourself, but it’s about you having fun.